Folding play-yard



April 28, 1959 H. J. LANDRY V 2,883,679

FOLDING PLAY-YARD Filed April 11, 1956. I I 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HENRY J. LANDRY ATTORN'VEY April 28, 1959 H. J. LANDRY 8 FOLDING PLAY-YARD Filed April 11, 1956 z Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HENRY J. LANDRY ATTORNEY United States Patent O FOLDING PLAY-YARD Henry J. Landry, Ashburnham, Mass. Application April 11, 1956, Serial No. 577,515

Claims. (Cl. 5-99) This invention is an improvement over the invention shown in my copending application Serial No. 463,928 filed October 22, 1954, now US. Patent No. 2,816,295, granted December 17, 1957.

The principal object of the present invention resides in the provision of a folding play-yard preferably having a multi-part articulated floor, one part of which is hinged on a wall of the play-yard, the other part or parts being hinged with respect to the first part and having a free edge for support on conventional supporting means at another wall of the play-yard, in combination with an articulated link construction comprising a pair of members each of which is pivoted at one end to one of the floor parts in relatively spaced condition, said links being pivoted together centrally of the play-yard floor and said links each being provided with a floor-engaging lateral flange to aid in supporting the floor when the latter is extended, the folding play-yard being provided with a pivoted pedal or lever having a free end underlying the floor part that is hinged to the wall of the play-yard, said pedal or lever being adapted to engage and press upon the flange of the respective floor-supported link, constantly urging the same outwardly from the folded condition of the floor to the extended condition thereof until a point in the unfolding action is reached wherein the weight of the floor itself completes the unfolding action.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of a construction as above described wherein the pedal may be utilized to control the extension of the folding floor to prevent the same from descending quickly and thus cushioning the effect thereof; the provision of a folding play-yard as recited including resilient means constantly tending to urge the pedal in a direction to extend the floor; the provision of a folding play-yard as described wherein the pedal is provided with a roller which engages the flange on the respective link at the initiation of the extending action; and the provision of a cam nose at the inner end of the lever, said cam nose engaging said flange at a point in the extending action of the floor after the same has been initiated by the roller.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section through a folding play-yard embodying the present invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sections taken on the respective lines in Fig. 1, Figs. 3 and 4 being on an enlarged scale;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views illustrating the action of the device; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the action of the device.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, it will be seen that the present invention is applied to a more or less conventional play-yard which has a front wall generally indicated at 10 and a rear wall generally indicated at 12, both of these walls being substantially rigid and provided with corner posts as at 14,

2,883,679 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 See these corner posts having casters or the like 16 as is typical in the art.

The front and rear walls are connected by more or less typical in-swinging folding walls which are generally referred to as side or end walls. Each of these walls is made in two main parts which may be hinged together as for instance at 17, these walls being indicated at 18 and 20 and being in turn hinged as for instance to the corner posts or extensions thereof as at 22 and 24 respectively.

The front wall 10 is provided with a lower rail indicated at 26 and on this rail there is pivoted as for instance by hinges 28 a floor part 30 which may be extended to usable condition as shown in Fig. 1 or folded to substantially vertical condition as shown in Fig. 5 in order to allow for the swinging side or end walls to be swung in to fold the play-yard as will be easily recognized by those skilled in the art.

The floor part 30 is provided with a second floor part member 32 which is hinged thereto as for instance at 34, 34. Floor part 32 is provided with a free end 36 adapted to be supported when extended on a cleat 38 mounted on a lower rail 40 of the rear wall 12 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Each floor part has a pivoted link member which is preferably provided with a deep dimension relative to its thickness as is readily seen by comparing for instance the link 42 in Fig. l with the bottom plan view thereof as seen in Fig. 2. Link 42 is pivoted at 44 on a bracket 46 mounted at the under side of floor member 30 at a point intermediate the hinge 28 and the hinge 34 part, but preferably closer to the former.

The link 42 is duplicated but reversed as at 48, link 48 being pivoted at 50 as on a bracket 52 to the floor part 32 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The two links 42 and 48 extend toward each other and are inter-pivoted as by a pivot-pin 54 located in downwardly spaced relation relative to the floor parts, vertically aligned with the axis of hinges 34.

With the parts extended as shown in Fig. 1, the links 42 and 48 tend to support the floor centrally thereof in the manner of a truss and considerable strength is derived from the shape of the links 42 and 48 as described above. However, the links 42 and 48 are not connected to the floor parts except at their pivoted portions at 44 and 50.

Each link 42 and 48 is provided with a lateral flange as at 56 and 58 respectively extending at opposite sides of the respective links (see Fig. 2) and providing for support of the floor parts 30 and 32 as described avoiding the pressure of the floor parts on the narrow edges' which would be present in the absence of these flanges.

There is provided a foot lever or pedal generally indicated at 60. This lever or pedal has a pivot-pin 62 by which it is pivotally mounted on a depending bracket 64 mounted at the under side of floor part 30 closely adjacent hinge 28. The pedal 60 is shaped so as to extend down under the lower edge of the rail 26 of the front wall 10, and then it extends upwardly terminating in a foot or toe portion 66 for actuation by the foot of the operator of the playpen. Of course, this pedal may be manually actuated also.

The pedal or lever 60 extends in under floor part 30, terminating in a rounded cam surface at 68. The pedal is conveniently formed of sheet metal and is provided with a pair of spaced walls clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and indicated at 70 and 72, there being a bottom member 74 which provides that the pedal is in the nature of a channel or box-like member elongated in form having at one end the foot pedal member 66, the cam surface 68 being located at the other end thereof.

Between the walls 70 and 72 there is provided an axle assesse- 6 tqtetah y daun in a ler 8 r o is roller extending below the bottom surface 74 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 for a purpose to be described.

A coil spring 80 is mounted upon pivot-pin 62 and finds a reaction point at one end thereof at $4 on bracket 64 which; may also be made in a double box form as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The other end of the coil spring 80 finds its reaction point at 86 on the wall 70 and' by this construction the lever 60 is continuously resiliently pressed in a counter-clockwise direction in Fig, 1, so that the pedal member 66 is normally positioned and held in the upwardmost position thereof as shown in Fig. 1 Where it is out of the way as far as it is possible to provide. The pedal itself rests against the lower edge of rail 26 and this is one extreme position of the lever 60 as determined by the spring and the rail 26 When it is desired to fold the floor from the Fig. 1 position to the Fig. position, the pedal is depressed by the operator, causing the top edge of the roller 73 to engage the under surface of the floor part 30, and continued pressure in a clockwise direction in Fig. 1 causes the floor parts 30 and 32 to fold upwardly with the hinge 34 forming a breaking point therefor, see particularly Fig. 7. At the same time, the links 42 and 48 fold downwardly away from the fioor as shown in Fig. 7 and the floor parts are then continued to be moved toward a folded condition to a point where the toe of the operator can position them in the folded condition thereof in Fig. 5. The final few inches of folding action may be assisted by one hand of the operator. The side walls 18 and are then folded inwardly to overlie the folded floor as will be clear to those skilled in the art and the playpen is then completely folded ready for storage or transportation.

When the side walls are unfolded and extended their full length to the Fig. 1 position, the folding floor, in the conventional playpen does not tend to extend itself and must be pushed. However, with the spring actuated pedal or lever as described above, the roller 78 thereof engages the flange 56 of link 42 and thus the pedal exerts a pressure to the right in Fig. 5, moving floor parts 30 and 32 outwardly, see Fig. 6. Eventually the roller will ride off the flange 56 but the cam nose 68 will continue the engagement for another portion of the relative unfolding motion of the floor members and this ensures that the floor will be fully and completely extended without any attention or action taken on the part of the operator.

If desired, the operator may halt the extending action of the floor member by stepping on the pedal member 66 and moving the same from the solid line position to the dotted line position in Fig. 7, so that the upper edge of the lever 60 or the roller 78 will engage the under side of the floor and lessen or prevent the fall of the floor parts providing a cushioning action if this should be desired on the partof the operator.

It Will be seen that this invention provides a cornpletely automatic extension means for the floor of a folding play-yard without the prior art objections of sticking of the floor parts with relation to the side walls, etc. and completely avoiding all kinds of spring constructions associated directly with the floor. The action is smooth and fast both in extension and retraction of the folding floor parts.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1 childjs play-yard comprising walls and a multipart folding floor, and operator operated means to initiate folding the floor, said means including a lever type pedal element generally free of the floor and having a portion thereof engageable with the floor to raise the same upon operation by the operator, resilient means urging the pedal element away from the floor, the parts of said floor being articulated and the pedal element being pivotally mounted on; one part thereof, and means engaged by the pedal element moving under influence of the resilient means to extend the floor parts.

2. A folding play-yard comprising folding walls and a multi-part folding floor, a pivoted lever mounted on one floor part, a linkage mounted on the floor parts, resilient means for urging the lever to engage a part of the linkage to extend the floor, said lever being movable against the action of the resilient means to cause folding of the floor parts,

3. A folding play-yard comprising folding walls and a multi-part folding floor, a pivoted lever mounted on one floor part, a linkage mounted on the floor parts, resilient means for urging the lever to engage a part of the linkage to extend the floor, said lever being movable against the action of the resilient means to cause folding of the floor parts by engaging the floor part on which the lever is mounted and raising the same.

4. A folding play-yard comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and swinging side walls connecting the front and rear walls, a multi-part articulated floor hinged at one edge to one of said walls and being free of the other wall, a link pivoted to each floor part, said links being pivoted together, each link having a lateral flange underlying and contacting the under surface of the respective floor parts in extended condition of the latter and supporting the floor in horizontal extended condition, and a pedal to initiate both unfolding and folding motion of the floor parts.

5. A folding play-yard comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and swinging side walls connecting the front and rear walls, a multi-part articulated floor hinged at one edge to one of said walls and being free of the other wall, a link pivoted to each floor part, said links being pivoted together, each link having a lateral flange underlying and contacting the under surface of the respective floor parts in extended condition of the latter and supporting the floor in horizontal extended condition, and means to initiate motion of the floor parts, said lastnamed means including a pivoted lever associated with one of the floor parts and engaging the flange of the respective floor part to urge the floor parts apart.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 248,064 Stewart Oct. 11, 1881 329,942 Payson Nov. 10, 1885 516,290 Wilrnot Mar. 13, 1894 807,204 Rice Dec. 12, 1905 841,341 Rice Jan. 15, 1907 1,270,358 Zaremba June 25, 1918 1,342,785 Wersel June 8, 1920 1,516,322 Beaucoudray Nov. 18, 1924 1,784,588 Green Dec. 9, 1930 1,884,552 Bradley Oct. 25, 1932 2,173,639 Swanson Sept. 19, 1939 2,489,188 Landry Nov. 22, 1949 2,523,124 Landry Sept. 19, 1950 2,670,477 Pond Mar. 2, 1954 2,758,317 Landry Aug. 14, 1956 2,781,527 Landry Feb. 19, 1957 

